Australian baby hit by train survives - no politicians take credit

An Australian baby hit by train not only survives but has just a minor bump on the head.

By
Jimmy Orr /
October 17, 2009

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Video footage shows the mother of a six-month old baby trying in vain to rescue her son from an oncoming train after the baby's stroller rolled onto the tracks in Melbourne. The baby survived the incident with only a minor bump on his head.

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The old joke in the US goes: The most dangerous spot in the world is between a television camera and -- insert politician's name here. When we hear the line, New York Senator Chuck Schumer is usually involved.

It just makes the story of the Australian baby hit by a train even more spectacular. No politician is taking credit for the baby's survival.

If you haven't heard about it yet, that's OK. With the media's obsession with the Balloon Boy in the US and the Halo cloud which, to some, looked like a UFO in Russia, there's been little room for other news.

To bring you up to speed, a woman was standing on the platform waiting for a train to arrive in Melbourne this past Thursday. She was accompanied by her six-month old son who was in a baby stroller.

She let go of the stroller for just a second when the stroller took off on its own and rolled onto the tracks of an oncoming train. Immediately upon hitting the tracks, the train barreled into the stroller dragging it and the baby for 130 feet.

It's a terrifying video (see below) which we wouldn't have included except the outcome is remarkable. The baby not only survived, but suffered just a minor bump on the head.

The family is home and wishes to remain confidential although the father did speak to the Melbourne Herald Sun yesterday.

"My wife has seen the footage, but every time she sees it she gets very upset," said the man.

"My wife is very stressed," he continued. "We are all OK -- my wife and my baby are OK -- but we really just need some time to get over this."

In the meantime, there's nary a peep from any Australian politicians taking credit for, or condemning the incident.

Had this happened in the US, the mayor of the city would undoubtedly have called a press conference to bathe himself in the glory of the baby's survival and take responsibility for the miracle. Because under his watch, the trains had been made so safe that any baby would be able to survive such an accident.

And the opposition would undoubtedly call a press conference to denounce the mayor for allowing this to happen in the first place. Had the opposition party been in office, train platforms would be such that no accidents could happen -- ever.

Perhaps politicians are of a higher breed in Australia where the need to shamelessly self-promote themselves rarely occurs. We'll ask our international editor if our assumption is correct on Monday.

Regardless, that doesn't mean the US hasn't gotten involved in typical fashion. None other than Oprah Winfrey wants the exclusive to the story. According to the Sun Herald, she is leading an "international bidding war" to interview the mother of the baby.

If she gets it, our guess is that Schumer will ask to co-host the program.

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